Chapter 35: Fell the Mighty
Jaggedtooth had just wandered off, but given how half of Eagle remained uneaten, we knew he'd be back soon. It was time to put our plan into action before the tribe decides to send Stormfur out there. Of course they saw us leaving our hiding spots and setting up, but they also didn't want to chance getting the attention of Jaggedtooth, meaning they could only watch and possibly rush Stormfur's arrival.
Dawn was quick to get into position on a rock shelf from which she could jump to those large unstable spikes in the ceiling. Meanwhile Claws rushed to find a good hiding spot near where we planned to kill Jaggedtooth. He did have to muscle a small boulder out of the way of a cat sized hole in the wall that a cold breeze blew through, making it obvious that it led outside. Normally, I wouldn't take to a plan this risky, but we're on a time crunch. We don't have time for a better answer. At any moment, they could force Stormfur out to fight the monster cat with the mindless hope that their prophecy somehow circumvented all logic. Jaggedtooth could not be felled by just a cat.
I peeked outside the cavern into the sunlight looking for Jaggedtooth. Instead, I was bowled over by a certain ginger friend of mine.
"Darkpaw! You're ok!" She exclaimed while nuzzling me fiercely.
With her arrival came the rest of the journey cats sans Stormfur. Brambleclaw moved forward to speak. "We're here to get you out. That thing just took off giving us a little time." He began before I cut him off.
"I know. It'll be back soon too, but I've got a plan. We don't have time for me to explain, so I want you to get up to that shelf. You'll find a molly there called Dawn. She'll explain what's going on if the plan hasn't started yet. Otherwise, stay out of the way." I commanded.
"And just leave you here to face that thing?!" Brambleclaw argued.
"No. I won't be fighting it, but I do need it to chase me. There's no time. Just get up there and be ready if things go wrong. If our plan fails, you need to make an opening for Claws, a cat wearing my claw extensions. Now go!" I commanded.
They hesitated but a moment when the yowl of Jaggedtooth alerted them to its approach. They sprinted for the rock shelf I told them about, quickly leaping up there and out of sight. Good. I wanted Jaggedtooth to only focus on me. I kept a certain amount of distance from the exit to the cavern, waiting for Jaggedtooth to reveal its monstrous form. I could hear my heart pounding in anticipation. How long did I just stand there waiting to bolt? How long did I strain my eyes looking for the shadow of such a large and dangerous beast? My mouth was dry. Was this fear? Was I afraid to die? Even when I'd killed that dog, I never felt something like this. The only moment that was remotely similar was when Midnight grabbed me. The uncertainty of my fate as I committed a gamble my father would never have let me take ate at me, consuming my ability to think. I just needed to wait. I just needed to be ready.
That's when I finally saw it. Jaggedtooth's large form loped towards the cavern. It had a somewhat lazy look on its face. If it was tired, that meant it would be slower, which was a benefit for us. Though, I needed to piss it off. This was an absolutely terrible idea, but I needed it to follow me. What if all this went wrong? What if Dawn acted too late and missed? These were questions that burned in my mind, but it was too late to change things. It was time to act. I knew exactly how to piss Jaggedtooth off, but it was a really unpleasant idea. There's nothing that pisses off a cat more than prey being stolen, and what remained of Eagle was just right there. I don't believe I could actually stand to eat a cat, but I needed to look like I was to Jaggedtooth. I buried my muzzle in the gore, soaking it in blood like I'd dug into the body when Jaggedtooth had left. Thankfully, it didn't take much for Jaggedtooth to notice me and more specifically notice that I appeared to be stealing its meal. It howled with rage. Why had I thought pissing the thing off was a good idea?
I sprinted away from the carcass of Eagle, hearing Jaggedtooth break into a run to try and catch me. I dared not look back and see how close he was, but it was close enough that I could count each individual claw click as they hit the ground. The point wasn't that far away. I just needed to keep running along the wall, and Jaggedtooth would fall into the trap. I pushed harder, trying to make every whiskerlength of ground count. Even a mouse length could be the difference between me being hit alongside Jaggedtooth. My muscles burned in protest as I forced them to run faster than I'd ever run before. My breathing was rapid and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Just a little bit further. Then I saw where I was. I was about to hit a wall. I locked my legs, skidding to a stop just before I could crash into the wall. My eyes desperately searched the area. Had something gone wrong? Had I run the wrong way? I could only turn back to face Jaggedtooth.
The beast seemed to have noticed my predicament, slowly approaching as if to taunt me. I couldn't escape. There was nowhere left to run. It got me. I could only watch as my impending death approached. Then there was a crack of stone. Something changed, and both Jaggedtooth and I looked for where the sound had come from. I looked up toward the noise to see Dawn had just struck the hanging spike, rebounding off it to return to the rock shelf. The spike snapped under the sudden hit, falling towards the ground, towards Jaggedtooth. Unfortunately, because Dawn had needed to rebound off the spike, the aim was a bit off. Instead of impaling Jaggedtooth through the midsection, it instead only impaled him through his back leg, pinning him to the floor. The battle wasn't won yet.
Dawn leapt down from her perch with the rest of the journey cats quick to follow. She began to harry Jaggedtooth, trying to draw its attention away from our last hope. The rest of the journey cats quickly got the idea and harassed Jaggedtooth further, making it have to split its attention. Then Claws emerged. Those claws I'd gifted him were freshly polished and sharpened. He stood ready waiting for his moment.
It was largely lost under the caterwauls of my friends keeping Jaggedtooth busy, but Claws gave a bit of a speech. "For too long have I hidden away from myself. For too long have I been afraid. No more. I have found my bravery through my new friend and my sister. I fight for them and no one else. I reject the Tribe of Rushing Water. I fight not in their name. I fight for those who believe in me and see more than just a cat cursed to be violent. That is my purpose."
Claws saw his moment and darted in. Unfortunately, Jaggedtooth was more intelligent than we'd thought. It swiped at Claws, catching him across the chest, which sent him tumbling. I gasped at the sight, too weary from my run to go and help him. Claws was still but a moment before rising. Red leaked steadily from his chest, and for once, I saw how terrible of a color it was. Dust had been knocked free from the wall when Claws hit it, settling onto his back, giving him a grey color besides the steady bleed of red. Claws shook the stupor off before rushing in again. This time, Jaggedtooth had been too distracted by Tawnypelt to see Claws' approach. With one clean hit, Jaggedtooth's neck was split. The beast writhed as it desperately struggled to survive, accidentally tossing Claws away into the light. The mix of grey dust and the white of his pelt gave a dazzling effect making it seem as if his fur were silver.
I forced myself to my paws, rushing to Claws' side. The wound Jaggedtooth had struck was deep, and it was far too big. Never have I felt more upset with myself for skipping Father's lessons on immediate medicine. Claws was dying. I knew he was. He was bleeding too much. His breathing was gurgling.
"Come on Claws! We did it! We beat it. Just hang on!" I begged, knowing that my words were merely a desperate hope.
"I got him." Claws mumbled. "I did it. I fought and won."
Dawn came skidding in as soon as she saw her brother. "Claws! I'm sorry. I'd thought I'd gotten his attention, but then it hit you. I'm so sorry." She cried, pressing into him, ignoring the blood beginning to coat her.
"S'all right. We got him. I… I finally paid you back for protecting me. Please don't cry." Claws mewed with a raspy voice.
"Please don't leave us." Dawn cried, pressing harder into Claws injured body.
Instead of answering his sister, his eyes drifted to me. He asked a strange question. "Hey. Do you think your ancestors would accept me? I don't want to go to the Tribe of Endless Hunting."
"I'm sure they'll honor you as a great warrior. We'll tell tales of your bravery for ages to come." I replied, knowing that all too soon Claws would be with us no longer.
A small smile lit up his face, accented by the blood that trickled from the corner of his muzzle. "I'm glad. One last thing. Take care of Dawn's Early Light for me."
Tears streamed down my face as I choked out my response. "I… I will. I promise."
Then Claws went still. He'd passed on. Dawn pressed into me, seeking any sort of comfort as we mourned his passing. We'd won but at what cost?
Mini chapter epilogue
Claws found himself in a strange space. It looked like the mountain, but at the same time, it was different. He knew he was dead. 'Was this place the afterlife?' Claws pondered. Suddenly a calico molly appeared. She was rather big. A scar crossed over her muzzle. Despite her intimidating form, she somehow felt familiar. It was then that Claws noticed. She smelled a bit like Darkpaw.
"Hey there kit. You had a lot of guts to be able to do what you did. Anyways, I heard what you asked Darkpaw before you died. You want to join his ancestors, or in other words, Starclan. I can show you the way. It'll be a bit of a trip, but I'm sure they'll accept you without a second thought." The molly mewed.
"Are you one of theirs?" Claws asked of the stranger.
"Unfortunately not. I did some questionable things in my life, but I'm trying to make up for them. I can show you to their border but no further." The molly answered.
As the two set off towards the distant Starclan, Claws asked one last question. "Who are you anyways?"
"The name's Mapleshade kit, and I'm a friend of Darkpaw. I'm sure both he and his father will be happy to know someone is guiding his fallen friend to Starclan." The molly answered, moving ahead of Claws to set the pace. For just a moment, Mapleshade felt a sense of nostalgia. It felt like when she'd been alive and guided her kits to the river the first time, before everything had been revealed and gone to the Darkforest. Claws was going to Starclan, but maybe he'd be willing to talk to her from across the border from time to time. She could only hope.